Alekno salutes players for efforts after Olympic qualification

Russia coach Vladimir Alekno: "I'm so appreciative and grateful to the players. They did their best. All of their efforts are reflected in the results. We have a big game against Poland tomorrow. I am very happy that we have now qualified for the Olympics".

Iran coach Julio Velasco: "I congratulate Russia for the win and making the Olympics. We started well and could have won the first set. If we had we might have had a chance. Our attack and middle blocking was weak in the second set. This was a good match for our team to learn what it is like to play against the best".

Russia captain Taras Khtey: "At this point most of the players are exhausted. It was a tough match today, but we were able to gain the three points. We have a big match against Poland tomorrow and I want to prepare for that".

Iran player Amir Ghafour: "We played the best team in the world. We tried our best. They are more experienced. In the future, we will play better when we play against teams like them. Before the game my coach spoke to me and told me not to worry about anything and to have confidence going into the match. Because of this I could be myself and play well".